MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015 SPORTS Fiorentina into Europa League MILAN: Europa League semi-finalists their city rivals into second place ahead of Fiorentina secured their place in next sea- next week’s final round of games. son’s competition with a stunning 3-2 win A second place finish secures automatic at Palermo, as Verona striker Luca Toni entry to the Champions League, while the moved top of the Serie A scoring charts team that finishes third goes into a play-off yesterday. Fiorentina, outclassed by Sevilla round. in Europe’s second tier competition last Roma were held 2-2 by Lazio earlier this week, got off the mark in Sicily thanks to season, but coach Rudi Garcia said a third former Palermo forward Josip Ilicic’s 23rd place finish is not in his plans. “We want to minute screamer from 25 metres. make sure that tomorrow’s game is the Mato Jajalo levelled for the hosts with a only one that matters for us in this cam- great volley only three minutes later but paign,” Garcia said in his pre-match confer- Fiorentina were back in front just after the ence Sunday. half hour when Alberto Gilardino was on “It’s up to us tomorrow to show that we hand to turn a Mati Fernandez shot past are the stronger of the sides.” Although Stefano Sorrentino. Napoli, in fourth at three points behind Vincenzo Montella’s visitors were Lazio, remain in Champions League con- stunned on 69 minutes when Luca Rigoni tention, the Biancocelesti require only a levelled for the hosts, but Marcos Alonso draw on Monday to make sure of at least a restored their lead 12 minutes from time to third place finish. ruin what was Palermo striker Paulo It has left Rafael Benitez’s men, beaten Dybala’s last home game before his immi- 3-1 by a second-string Juventus on nent move to Juventus. Saturday, heading towards the Europa The result moved Fiorentina up one League alongside Fiorentina and a third place to fifth, two points ahead of sixth- side that is increasingly looking like placed Genoa. Genoa hold the third and Sampdoria. final Europa League spot but have been A last-gasp leveller from Samuel Eto’o excluded from European competition kept Sampdoria’s Europa hopes alive but because their Luigi Ferraris stadium does Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men will be relying on not meet UEFA standards. Fiorentina’s six- results elsewhere. point lead over Sampdoria, in seventh, Sampdoria share Genoa’s Luigi Ferraris means their spot in next season’s Europa stadium but have already lodged Sassuolo’s League is secure. Mapei stadium as the venue for European LEICESTER: Leicester City’s Jeffrey Schlupp (left) and Queens Park Rangers’ Nedum Onuoha battle for the ball during the English Premier Elsewhere, a brace of goals, including home games in the event they qualify for League soccer match. —AP one from the spot, from Toni in a 2-2 draw Europe. away to Parma saw the evergreen Verona Mihajlovic, however, was less than hap- striker leapfrog Carlos Tevez to lead the py with a scenario which means his side Serie A scoring charts. must beat Parma in their final game of the Vardy stars as partying With one game remaining this season, season and hope results elsewhere go their Toni now leads Juventus striker Tevez and way. Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi, who both have “We’ve claimed a point, now we need to 20 goals, by one. win our last game and see what happens Leicester trounce QPR With Juventus securing the double elsewhere,” Mihajlovic told Sky Sport. thank to Wednesday’s Cup final win over “Genoa are ahead of us and I take my Ramsey to cheer about in his first game since beat Kasper Schmeichel, only to flash the wrong Lazio, the battle for European places con- hat off to them... but it would only be a being made permanent QPR manager. side of the post. tinues apace. small consolation for us if we got into the Leicester 5 Nigel Pearson’s Leicester finished the cam- But Leicester made it 2-0 two minutes before Lazio host Roma on Monday looking for Europa League because of their misfor- paign with a run of seven wins, one draw and half-time as Albrighton was afforded space to the win that would allow them to leapfrog tune.”—AFP one defeat, giving them a 14th-place finish and advance before crashing a shot high into the taking them above the 40-point barrier in the net. Italian League result/standings QPR 1 top flight for the first time since 2001. Leicester were forced into a change at the Leicester were unchanged from the team that interval, with Ritchie De Laet replacing Marcin Empoli 1 (Pucciarelli 57) Sampdoria 1 (Eto’o 90+1); Cesena 0 Cagliari 1 (Sau 90+1); Chievo 1 (Pellissier 88) had secured survival last weekend with a 0-0 Wasilewski, but within seven minutes of the sec- Atalanta 1 (Gomez 48); Palermo 2 (Jajalo 26, Rigoni 69) Fiorentina 3 (Iicic 23, Gilardino 33, Alonso 78); draw at Sunderland and they were quickly into ond period, they had doubled their advantage. Parma 2 (Nocerino 21, Varela 36) Verona 2 (Toni 42, 80-pen); Udinese 0 Sassuolo 1 (Magnanelli 70). LEICESTER: Leicester City celebrated their stun- their stride, Ulloa curling wide and Jeffrey First, Ulloa used his chest to divert a shot ning escape from Premier League relegation Schlupp hitting the side-netting. from Wes Morgan into the bottom corner, before Playing later with a breezy 5-1 demolition of relegated The hosts made the breakthrough in the 16th former Argentina international Cambiasso fired AC Milan v Torino Queens Park Rangers on the season’s final day. minute following an error by QPR goalkeeper home from 12 yards. Jamie Vardy marked his first England call-up Alex McCarthy, who was deputising for the con- Austin claimed a consolation by heading in a Italian Serie A table after yesterday’s early game (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points): with the opener and further strikes from Marc cussed Robert Green. cross from Joey Barton in the 57th minute to Albrighton, Leonardo Ulloa, Esteban Cambiasso The 25-year-old spilled a tame effort from register his 18th goal of the campaign, but by Juventus 37 26 8 3 70 22 86 Udinese 37 10 11 16 40 52 41 and Andrej Kramaric left the home fans inside Riyad Mahrez and 28-year-old Vardy followed up then QPR were already destined to finish the —champions Atalanta 37 7 16 14 37 54 37 the King Power Stadium in heady mood. to tap in his fifth goal of the campaign. season at the bottom of the pile. And there was Roma 36 18 13 5 51 28 67 Cagliari 37 7 10 20 44 65 31 Charlie Austin, another new face in England McCarthy partially atoned by saving well yet more misery to come as Kramaric bludg- Lazio 36 20 6 10 66 34 66 — relegated coach Roy Hodgson’s latest squad, replied for from Vardy and Matt Phillips then came within eoned home following a punt from Schmeichel Napoli 37 18 9 10 68 50 63 Cesena 37 4 12 21 36 68 24 the visitors, but there was nothing else for Chris inches of equalising with a 20-yard shot that that QPR failed to deal with. —AFP Fiorentina 37 17 10 10 58 46 61 — relegated Genoa 37 16 11 10 61 44 59 Parma 376 724317318 Sampdoria 37 13 16 8 46 40 55 — relegated Inter Milan 37 13 13 11 55 45 52 Note: Parma deducted three points and four Torino 36 13 12 11 43 42 51 Burnley bow out heads held high AC Milan 36 11 13 12 50 49 46 points for financial irregularities and non-payment Palermo 37 11 13 13 51 54 46 of salaries. Sassuolo 37 11 13 13 46 56 46 Top two qualify automatically for the Champions League, third goes into the play-offs. Fourth, fifth Verona 37 11 12 14 47 63 45 Aston Villa 0 Chievo 37 10 13 14 28 38 43 and sixth carry Europa League places. The bottom Empoli 37 8 18 11 44 47 42 three sides are relegated. Burnley 1 BIRMINGHAM: Leading scorer Danny Ings brought what is likely to be the final curtain down on his career with Burnley yesterday in the best way possible by scoring the only goal for the relegated side in a farewell 1-0 win over FA Cup finalists Aston Villa. Ings, widely believed to be due for a move to a club remaining in the Premier League club in the close season, struck early in the first-half with his 11th of the campaign to give Burnley only their seventh win of the season, all by one goal margins. For Villa it was a second disappointing result ahead of their daunting FA Cup final meeting with holders Arsenal after being thrashed 6-1 by Southampton last weekend. BIRMINGHAM: Aston Villa’s Christian Benteke in action during the English Premier League Ings opened the scoring in the sixth minute soccer match against Burnley at Villa Park. —AP as Villa failed to clear the ball on several occa- sions. five minutes before the break, a rising shot infuriatingly inconsistent Charles N’Zogbia ITALY: Palermo’s Luca Rigoni (center) celebrates with his teammates after scoring They were put out of their misery as Ings going just over the bar and then his second unable to get the better of the admirable during a Serie A soccer match between Palermo and Fiorentina yesterday.